What are subliminal messages? How do they differ from the usual messages or information we pick up every day?

Perhaps this scenario is familiar to you. You walked into a theater to watch a movie. It was an intense one that all your senses are glued to the big screen. When the film was over, you headed to your nearest department store and noticed a product you really did not care too much before. Today, it felt different. You suddenly had the curiosity, as if you thought it is going to be something good for you.

Haven’t you thought about where you got the idea? There is a good chance that the product has been advertised in the movie, perhaps displayed, in one of the scenes. However, since it is your subconscious that picked the message up, you hardly notice it.

Subliminal messages work that way. They do not go through your conscious mind, which makes use of all your senses. However, you get to absorb it and taps into them at some point in your life.

Defining Subliminal Messages

Subliminal messages have been defined as images, audios, and words that provide you with certain messages. They are called subliminal since they are stored and “processed” by your subconscious mind, found on the deeper level. Usually, every day you are using only the surface, the top level, which is called the conscious. Thus, the messages are hidden or masked away.

Subliminal messages have been used by many people as early as the nineteenth century. One of their biggest users are advertisers, who are using the messages to persuade individuals to buy their products or avail of their services without being too blatant about them.

This can usually be done through association. For instance, an ad for a diaper may feature a happy and smiling baby. When a mother looks at the ad, her brain picks up the idea that by using the product, her tot will also be in such blissful state. However, nowhere in the ad will you see the phrase “Buy Me.”

Another is through color. Every time you are going to see red, you may think about Target or the beverage 7-Up when you see the color green.

Subliminal messages are also being currently utilized by hypnotists and psychologists, especially for their patients who are having a hard time dealing with emotional issues such as depression and anxiety. These messages are usually given in terms of affirmations.

Affirmations are positive statements. The aim is to change the negative emotions to something more positive by filling yourself up with such profound uplifting messages. They are packed in CDs and DVDs, which you can listen or watch at your most convenient time. These affirmations are given in repetitive forms. The words are repeated as many as a hundred times in an hour.

This is because subliminal messages lack emotions, which help you remember certain pieces of information. The repetition will ensure such statements can get inside your subconscious mind.